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Friday, November 16, 2012

Creating a Love Triangle

YA writers and bloggers unite each week to share their thoughts on what it's like going indie in today's publishing world.Today we are discussing the love triangle.Now - I've never been a huge fan. I'm such a romantic and I like the idea of soul mates, but the truth is, it is actually possible to love two people and the complications that arise from a love triangle can be fascinating.I think a love triangle needs to be well thought out. You want the reader to be struggling themselves over who should end up together. This is a great way to build tension and keep the reader anxious to finish the book.Like I said, I'm not an expert on this, as I've never really tackled a love triangle before, however I am going to be in my next trilogy. It's been really interesting exploring the relationships. I know who should end up together, but will my readers agree? I need to make sure I present the story to them in a way that will keep them guessing, but not disappoint them. Tricky!!! But totally fun at the same time :-)

I think it's important to keep characters' motivations real. The love triangle in Twilight never worked for me. If Bella was as in love with Edward as she claimed then it felt wrong that she would even consider Jacob... ever! I did love those books, but I never bought into the whole love triangle. It felt out of character for Bella. When creating a love triangle I think you need to ask the following questions... Why does this love triangle exist? Is it appropriate to the story? Does it align with the characters' personalities and values?Once you have the answers you are on your way to creating a love triangle that is realistic and hopefully entertaining.What do you think is necessary for creating a good love triangle?If you'd like to find out what the other carnival peeps think about love triangles, please follow the links below.

And you can also check out the YA Author Club for the latest updates and news on what we're all up to.

2 comments:

I agree about the triangle in Twilight. I never really wanted Bella to end up with Jacob, although I was sympathetic to him because he was there for her and kind to her all along, especially when Edward left her. The problem for me, I think, was that the pack thing made him seem juvenile. I preferred Edward, even despite the immortal vampire life choice issues.

I think for a love triangle to work, the author has to make both heroes (or heroines?) equally appealing on some level, and give them equal time with the third party to help us see the relationships and the feelings.

In The Hunger Games, I would have been disappointed if Katniss ended up with Gale because I never saw them as more than friends, really. Something could have developed, but it didn't. Like with Jacob, I felt sympathetic toward Gale, but there was a preponderance of scenes with her and Peeta.

(Sorry to be so tardy. I've been fighting a bad case of bronchitis all week.)